Companies design tailormade policies for staff

At Marico, there is an unlimited contingency leave policy, where employees can take up to two days of leave any number of times in order to fulfil their personal needs.

An operations executive at a retail company was pleasantly surprised when her manager recently encouraged her to bring her 10-month-old baby in office transport to drop off the child at onsite daycare. “The other organisations I have worked in also had transportation for employees, but this is the first company I have seen that allows kids in the vehicles, making the commute with my child much simpler,” said the 31-year-old, who did not wish to be identified.

This gesture on the part of the company is part of a wider trend of organisations offering varied benefits to their workforce in an effort to build better employer brands and distinctive employee value propositions. “Companies across sectors, recognising that employees in different life stages have different needs, are tailoring policies to make their work-life balance easier and provide greater flexibility,” said Mansee Singhal, principal talent at Mercer India.

Benefits such as counselling for weight and fitness, extended maternity leave, transportation facilities, leave for elder care and bereavement, etc. can go the extra mile in creating better employee engagement, she said.

FOCUSING ON MENTAL HEALTHMany organisations are focusing on ensuring emotional and mental well-being of their employees, as is the case at Target India. The company recently rolled out an employee wellness programme, under which colleagues get access to counsellors and therapists, to deal with grief and anxiety, work-life pressures and substance abuse.

The company is also planning to introduce counsellors to be part of future leadership meetings, to instruct seniors on recognising and managing stress within their teams. Leaders will then be able to play a big role in identifying stress points and ensuring employees get necessary assistance, said human resources head Shalini Natraj.

FLEXIBILITY FOR EMPLOYEESOther companies have decided to support employees throughout the parenthood journey.

Genpact, under its Returning Mothers programme, allows women employees coming back from maternity leave to choose their shift and location upon their return to make the transition easier. The company is now rolling out sustained initiatives under which women employees who have returned from maternity breaks can network and learn from each other. The online communities will focus on navigating biases around motherhood, finding meaningful projects and taking charge of their careers post maternity break, said Urvashi Singh, senior vice president of HR.

Swedish retailer IKEA, in March last year, introduced a progressive parental policy, under which both male and female employees in India are allowed six months of leave upon a child’s birth. The company is also planning to offer creche facilities at its new stores, said IKEA India country HR manager Anna-Carin Mansson.

At Ericsson, all eligible women employees can now request for an extended leave of two months above and beyond the statutory 26-week maternity leave. The telecom equipment maker has also implemented a flexible working policy, under which employees have the option to choose a different work schedule for a period of not more than three months in a calendar year. “This is especially beneficial to employees when they are needed during medical exigencies, or for taking care of a family member,” said Priyanka Anand, head of HR for South East Asia, Oceania and India.

In January this year, SAP India rolled out the ‘FlexBen’ policy, which moves away from pre-defined and common benefits for all employees to a framework that caters to its five generations of employees.

Employees now get access to core benefits and a number of optional benefits that they can choose from, said Shraddhanjali Rao, head of HR. Optional benefits include mental and psychiatric counselling, health coaches, counselling for weight loss and life-related concerns, insurance and expenses for pets, and vacation vouchers.

At Marico, there is an unlimited contingency leave policy, where employees can take up to two days of leave any number of times in order to fulfil their personal needs.